In terms of finishing projects in a timely manner, this might be best I’ve ever done. Yeah, we first played Giant Jenga a couple of summers ago, but I didn’t plan on making it FOR REAL until I started waxing lyrical about outdoor parties in May. So, two months from idea to existence? This is probably what normal people do. It’s rather nice.

Let me break down all of the awesome things about this project:

— It was easy.
— The lumber was $8.
— Your friends will ask for one.
— It makes an awesomely non-traditional housewarming gift.

DIY Giant Jenga is actually a good thing to try if you’re graduating from basic power tools (like a drill) into heavier duty stuff (like a table saw). And you’ll be making the same cut 45 times, so it’s great practice. Ha. For full DIY instructions and additional pictures of how neon our grass is after months of constant rain, head over to Creative Green Living. Have you ever made your own outdoor game? Anybody else tried Giant Jenga? Is your yard slowly turning into a jungle, too?

Gaaaah! It’s Friday! The week got away from me. I’ve been slammed with client meetings–which is YAY! but also a little exhausting–and a sudden rush of e-design orders, so all of my days have blurred together. I want to sit down and write a real work update for you guys instead of sprinkling them in randomly like this, but that requires a big chunk of time and nice after pictures, neither of which I have yet. But soon! Sometimes I share little snippets on Instagram so if you’re itching for a project fix, head thataway.

In the meantime, here are your Pinterest Picks!

My brain is still in Tiny House Mode. Not house-on-wheels tiny, but something smaller than what we currently have (that is preferably attached to the ground). Look at this great room! I fell into a black hole reading the blogof the woman who lives here, which you should check out if you ALSO like to decompress by reading about life in 665 square feet.

I’m trying this new thing where I’m slightly more dressed up all the time so I don’t end up with two totally separate wardrobes for Professional Paige and Party Introvert On The Couch Paige. I fell into that trap when I worked in an office for a year and I just don’t have that kind of closet space anymore. Things that can do double duty, like this blouse, are what I’m after:

So what are you up to this weekend? We’re doing a couple of things with friends, but the real star of the show will be our anniversary tomorrow. Six years! What! All anniversa-week we’ve been discussing how quickly time is zipping by and how it’s kind of weird that we’re more than halfway to a decade now. And I hear things will only increase to warp speed once we have a tiny human running around, so I’d better enjoy the relative slowness while it lasts. We’re going to one of our favorite seafood places for dinner–Catch 35 if you’re local and hungry–and ordering a new dining set for the breakfast nook. (Apparently we’re a year off with this idea because the “traditional” gift for a fifth wedding anniversary is wood. Our bad.) As with the project updates, I’ll keep all of my schmoopy comments on Instagrambut I wanted to say that Hubsey is a good egg and I’m lucky to have him. Happy weekend, everybody!

Pantone stepped up their game this year and gifted us Marsala as the official color of 2015. I’m a fan.Remember when they saddled us with bright lavender for 12 months and we all cried? This is so much better in every way. You can realistically wear it, it won’t make your eyes water if you use it in your home, and it has the added bonus of making you think about chicken. High-five, Pantone!

My only, very tiny quibble is that it’s definitely a cool weather color. I don’t always play by the seasonal decorating rules (turquoise and red for Christmas, what up?) but Marsala is so dark and dramatic it’s hard to use when the sun is shining and you’re thinking about the pool. This kind of deep red perfect for fall and winter, and you can bet I’m going to have a grand old time painting my nails and buying dark flowers when that time comes, but for summer it’s a little gloomy by itself. I really like it, though, and if history is any indication I WON’T be into next year’s Pantone winner, so I want to enjoy all 365 days of this.

We already talked about how Marsala is one step away frombeing a neutral, so it plays nicely with a lot of other colors. The main lesson today is to mix it with plenty of lighter/brighter/shinier goodies in the summer to balance out its drama. My subconscious made a strong showing here with light gray appearing in alllll of the example pictures, but there’s also a lot of pink, some natural fibers, and plenty of white. If you’re into a more traditional palette, gold/brass and Marsala go way back. You might also want to roll with that theme if you feel like you’d be sorted into Gryffindor. (I’m a Ravenclaw, according to every quiz ever. You?)

Are you kind of bummed that our year of Marsala is more than halfway done? What horrors await us in 2016? (I’M SO NERVOUS.) Have you been using Marsala around the house? Or in your wardrobe? I want that Gryffindor chair.